I agree. I think Pat Riley will take over again just like he did when he fucked over Stan Van Gundy.

No way Pat Riley coaches again. Too old and burnt out to be pacing the sidelines anymore.

Phil Jackson wants to coach again. And like Phil has always done throughout his career, he will have the luxury of coaching a team with the league's best players. Whether Lebron and Wade have the discipline and patience of learning the triangle offense is a different story.

No way Pat Riley coaches again. Too old and burnt out to be pacing the sidelines anymore.

Phil Jackson wants to coach again. And like Phil has always done throughout his career, he will have the luxury of coaching a team with the league's best players. Whether Lebron and Wade have the discipline and patience of learning the triangle offense is a different story.

huh, where did you read that. Last time i checked, he said he was too old to travel all the time, his hips were hurting him badly. He s already loaded with millions and has nothing to prove as he s alrdy the best coach ever in the nba... i d like to see your source...

huh, where did you read that. Last time i checked, he said he was too old to travel all the time, his hips were hurting him badly. He s already loaded with millions and has nothing to prove as he s alrdy the best coach ever in the nba... i d like to see your source...

They deserve more respect than they get, but what happened this week and last year shows why they will never be thought of on the same plane as the Lakers and Bulls and Celtics. They also did this sort of thing during the run in which they won those championships. None of those rings were back-to-back. It just seems like they have lost a lot of series in which they won the first game, and havent won many in which they lost the first game. It just seems like for a franchise with a lot of rings, they choke a lot.

They deserve more respect than they get, but what happened this week and last year shows why they will never be thought of on the same plane as the Lakers and Bulls and Celtics. They also did this sort of thing during the run in which they won those championships. None of those rings were back-to-back. It just seems like they have lost a lot of series in which they won the first game, and havent won many in which they lost the first game. It just seems like for a franchise with a lot of rings, they choke a lot.

True. It's because they are not flashy. Tim Duncan will go down as one of the best players of all time. He doesn't seel the limelight. He just wins. Come talk to me when Lebron has 4 rings.

He's not done. He was just talking to Orlando about joining their front office. He backed out for "another opporutnity." Don't know what that other opportunity is. http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7997203/report-phil-jackson-bows-consideration-orlando-magic-front-office-job

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Vincent told the Sentinel that Jackson, 66, gave him the impression he didn't want to coach again. Jackson retired last year after winning five titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and six with the Bulls.

You think so? Not sure OKC will be a bigger draw than Dallas was last year?

Should be a good series.

In terms of star power, it doesn't get any bigger than okc/mia.

Lakers/heat would have been a big draw for the NBA.

Last year was interesting, the big 3 were so hated, it brought people who don't normally watch , tune in. Add in the fact that you had a white star whose team was the underdog - a lot of folks tuned in to see how it would unfold.

Miami, although still hated are not the villains they were last year. And it seems like espn likes use the "greatest expectations of any player now and until the end of time" narrative with lebron these days. Doris Burke should have just got on her knees and pulled lebron shorts down on live TV after game 6. I think the media can effect the casual fans perception.

With that said casual fans will still tune in hoping to see the heat go down much like they do with the yankees or any other polarizing team. Myself - i'll tune in for some great matchups, a heat loss would put a nice big grin on my face though.

Last year was interesting, the big 3 were so hated, it brought people who don't normally watch , tune in. Add in the fact that you had a white star whose team was the underdog - a lot of folks tuned in to see how it would unfold.

Miami, although still hated are not the villains they were last year. And it seems like espn likes use the "greatest expectations of any player now and until the end of time" narrative with lebron these days. Doris Burke should have just got on her knees and pulled lebron shorts down on live TV after game 6. I think the media can effect the casual fans perception.

With that said casual fans will still tune in hoping to see the heat go down much like they do with the yankees or any other polarizing team. Myself - i'll tune in for some great matchups, a heat loss would put a nice big grin on my face though.

I agree about stars. Durant/Westbrook played like beasts this year. Just not sure they will draw casual fans.

I don't have a dog in this one, but I hope The Frozen One doesn't get a ring. Only down side to that is a Miami loss will probably bring Phil Jackson out of retirement.

Phil's health is a factor more than his age. You think there is any bigger circus than LA? He could handle Miami.

But it will be a moot point if Miami wins it this year.

Knick/bulls playoff battles in the 90's? Are ya kidding? Maybe you thought I meant player rivalry.

L.A. is not even close to being the circus that miami is. There is pressure to win for sue in L.A, but its not the home of the big 3 and their WWE antics, or the home of the most polorizing player in the game. There is a giant, massive microscope hoovering around the heat at every turn.

Knick/bulls playoff battles in the 90's? Are ya kidding? Maybe you thought I meant player rivalry.

L.A. is not even close to being the circus that miami is. There is pressure to win for sue in L.A, but its not the home of the big 3 and their WWE antics, or the home of the most polorizing player in the game. There is a giant, massive microscope hoovering around the heat at every turn.

But the biggest wedge between phil and the heat is Riley's ego.

Chicago v. LA wasn't much of a rivalry. NY never got past Chicago.

Dude there is no bigger circus than LA. Phil managed Kobe and Shaq. The Frozen One and Wade don't bring nearly the amount of drama that Phil had to deal with in LA. And in terms of winning, it is always championship or bust in LA.

I agree Riley has a big ego, but he cares more about winning than anything else. In fact, the big ego might be the reason he would pay Phil a king's ransom to coach the "big three," so he can validate making those moves in the first place.

Dude there is no bigger circus than LA. Phil managed Kobe and Shaq. The Frozen One and Wade don't bring nearly the amount of drama that Phil had to deal with in LA. And in terms of winning, it is always championship or bust in LA.

I agree Riley has a big ego, but he cares more about winning than anything else. In fact, the big ego might be the reason he would pay Phil a king's ransom to coach the "big three," so he can validate making those moves in the first place.

Also, Phil has a man crush on Bosh.

Uh, NY beat Chicago in the 94' semi's. They went 7 games and basically cemented the rivalry. Regardless of no Jordan.

I'm no Jack Ramsey, but they also went 7 in 92' and played 6 of the hardest fought games in 93'. The bickering and animosity between the two during this time is well documented. Sorry, you're flat out wrong on this one.

This part is more of an opinion but I think you're wrong on this one too. In a nutshell, adding in the national hate for miami, and the giant microscope they're under and the biggest part - the fact that they have not won a damn thing yet. Every big loss only adds fuel to the fire. If phil takes over they would have lost yet another big one and the circus would only have gotten bigger by this time. This is not even taking in to account the phil/pat aspect - two men with clout, completely opposite personalities who have a history and phil coaching under the watchful eye of riley. That would be a circus unto its own.

Uh, NY beat Chicago in the 94' semi's. They went 7 games and basically cemented the rivalry. Regardless of no Jordan.

I'm no Jack Ramsey, but they also went 7 in 92' and played 6 of the hardest fought games in 93'. The bickering and animosity between the two during this time is well documented. Sorry, you're flat out wrong on this one.

This part is more of an opinion but I think you're wrong on this one too. In a nutshell, adding in the national hate for miami, and the giant microscope they're under and the biggest part - the fact that they have not won a damn thing yet. Every big loss only adds fuel to the fire. If phil takes over they would have lost yet another big one and the circus would only have gotten bigger by this time. This is not even taking in to account the phil/pat aspect - two men with clout, completely opposite personalities who have a history and phil coaching under the watchful eye of riley. That would be a circus unto its own.

I guess it depends on how you define rivalry. I think a rivalry is where teams play on a regular basis in tough games, where each team wins some and loses some. That was never the case with Phil and Riley. And no, NY beating a Jordan-less Bulls team doesn't count.

I'm no Dr. Jack either, but I watched the Pat Riley Lakers of the 80s, the Phil Bulls of the 90s, and Riley's Knicks of the 90s. There may have been some hard fought games, but it was always Phil raising the championship trophy in the end. Riley didn't win squat after leaving LA until he got lucky when the refs handed him and D-Whistle a title in Miami.

Not really disputing that there may be a circus type atmosphere in Miami. Just saying Phil has been there, done that with tremendous success.

And I don't think either one of us is "wrong." I'm not trying to prove you wrong. Just expressing an opinion based on what I've seen over the years.

I guess it depends on how you define rivalry. I think a rivalry is where teams play on a regular basis in tough games, where each team wins some and loses some. That was never the case with Phil and Riley. And no, NY beating a Jordan-less Bulls team doesn't count.

I'm no Dr. Jack either, but I watched the Pat Riley Lakers of the 80s, the Phil Bulls of the 90s, and Riley's Knicks of the 90s. There may have been some hard fought games, but it was always Phil raising the championship trophy in the end. Riley didn't win squat after leaving LA until he got lucky when the refs handed him and D-Whistle a title in Miami.

Not really disputing that there may be a circus type atmosphere in Miami. Just saying Phil has been there, done that with tremendous success.

And I don't think either one of us is "wrong." I'm not trying to prove you wrong. Just expressing an opinion based on what I've seen over the years.

I think you're sorely mistaken on their rivalry, even disingenuous to a point.

But I think we've said about as much as we need to. I think we can agree on one thing, a heat loss would be quite amusing. Lebron looks like he' truely on a mission. Who knows. This is going to be a great series.